A Dixie Family Christmas
by Ultrawoman
Summary: One-Shot. Zoe never thought she would find her way to a time when she could enjoy a happy family Christmas again. She was wrong. [Friends-as-Family fluff with a little Zoe/Wade thrown in; set in an AU Season 1, post-Episode 10 'Hairdos & Holidays']


**A/N: So, this is part of a series I actually started in 2009, writing a happy family Christmas for the characters in various fandoms. Of course, as much as this was meant to be a friends-as-family type of a deal, it turned out way more Zade than I originally intended. Also, it got much longer than I envisaged when I started writing too. Still, no-one's going to complain about those things, right? ;)**

 _ **Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Leila Gerstein, and other folks who aren't me.**_

A Dixie Family Christmas

Zoe was never the religious type, and technically she was half-Jewish if she was anything, but she always loved Christmas as a child. The family all together, warmth and fun, thoughtful gifts and all the best food. When she learned that her mother had lied to her for most of her life, that her dad was not her dad at all, and that her real father was already dead, she stopped expecting nice things, including happy Christmases. She figured she was done with family altogether, any kind of traditional family set-up anyway. The folks in Bluebell were nice enough, but as much as she tried, they didn't really seem to want to make her all that welcome. Zoe was greedy enough to want that, to want more, even when she was sure she couldn't have it. Turned out, she was wrong.

"So, since it you are not going back to the great northern city we call New York after all, Lavon Hayes was wondering if maybe you'd be open to a Christmas celebration right here?"

"Oh, Lavon." Zoe smiled. "That's so sweet, but you really don't have to go to any trouble for me," she assured him. "Besides, won't you be seeing your family?"

"The parents are doing their own thing this year, I didn't plan on going anywhere," he told her, shrugging easily. "I figure you, me, and Wade can make our own fun on the big day. Throw up some decorations, whip up some dinner, maybe watch a movie after?"

"That actually sounds really great," said Zoe, nodding her head.

"What sounds really great?" asked Wade as he joined them for breakfast.

"Christmas, right here, the three of us," Lavon explained. "Sounds good?"

Zoe wasn't sure what to make of the look that passed over Wade's face when Christmas was mentioned, but it was gone so fast she didn't get the chance to think about it much.

"Sure, I got nowhere else to be." He shrugged, grabbing an apple from the bowl. "Just don't go crazy with the mistletoe, okay, man?" he told Lavon, though he was side-eyeing Zoe when he said it. "I don't want the doc gettin' any more of those crazy ideas of hers about me than she already has," he said, smirking hard.

"You wish." Zoe rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help the smile she wore or the shiver that ran through her when their eyes met.

Wade liked to joke about them getting it together in one way or another, but she never really took any of it seriously, at least, not until a couple of days ago when he asked if he could buy her a drink. It had come as such a surprise she had feigned being tired and offered a raincheck. She still wondered how genuine his offer had been and what might happen if she ever did agree to some kind of real date type thing with Wade.

"So, we gotta make us some real plans here," Lavon was saying as Zoe shook her head and brought herself back to the present.

In the few minutes that followed, the three of them ate breakfast and divided up the tasks at hand. Lavon and Wade were in charge of the food, since they had all learned pretty fast that Zoe should not be allowed to cook, ever. She volunteered to decorate the dining room instead and then asked what they were doing gift-wise.

"I mean, I was thinking of getting you guys something," she explained. "You know, small gifts, nothing fancy, I just... I didn't want it to be all awkward if you guys didn't do gifts for each other or you weren't expecting anything from me."

"It's Christmas," said Lavon, making a face. "'Course there'll be gifts, right?" he said, looking at Wade.

"Apparently," he replied, painting on a grin as he looked at Zoe. "What's the matter, doc? You think we don't know how to do Christmas down here in 'Bama?"

"I do not think that at all," she said definitely. "In fact, with all these plans we've been making, I'm probably looking forward to Christmas more than I have in years. Thank you, guys," she said, grinning wide as she hopped off her stool, declaring she really had to go so she wouldn't be late for work.

There was a spring in Zoe's step all that day and the next as Christmas approached with the promise of a couple of days off work, and a real good time at home with her best buddies who had fast started to feel like family in the strangest way. Well, maybe Wade wasn't exactly like family, not least because they had already made out once, but Lavon definitely was. Zoe never knew she needed or even wanted a big brother until she met him, but now she was really glad to have one. Both guys had really been there for her since she moved to Bluebell and Christmas with them looked set to be a real good time.

The Doctors' Office officially closed to everything but emergencies a little early on Christmas Eve and Zoe rushed home to get to work on decorating Lavon's dining room. He and Wade were banned from going anywhere near it until the next day when the big reveal would happen. She deemed it only fair since they had told her she was allowed nowhere near the kitchen when they started cooking in the morning.

Stepping carefully down from the stool she had needed to reach up and place the mistletoe in the doorway (because it was Christmas and how could she not?) Zoe looked around at all her hard work and smiled. It looked pretty good, if she did say so herself. She left the room, closing the door behind her again, and finding Wade and Lavon on the couch playing video games.

"No peeking whatsoever!" she told them both in her sternest doctor voice. "Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Lavon nodded, though his eyes never left the TV screen.

"Whatever you say, doc" Wade agreed, cheering a moment later as he pummelled Lavon into submission in their game.

Zoe rolled her eyes but smiled anyway as she walked towards the door. She stopped short of actually leaving and turned back.

"Um, so, are we dressing up tomorrow?" she checked.

"Are you kidding?" asked Wade, finally giving her his attention. "Dress up? For Christmas?"

"Well, I guess we could," Lavon considered. "Nothing wrong with looking a little smart on the good Lord's birthday and all."

"It's okay if you don't want to." Zoe shook her head. "It's just I have this really cute dress I was going to wear and-"

"Then we'll dress up," Wade said fast. "You know, if it means that much to you," he told Zoe, shrugging his shoulders in the very next second, like it was no big deal either way.

"Okay then," she said, smiling again as she turned to leave and actually going this time.

Zoe wasn't sure what Lavon was laughing about right before she closed the door behind her and figured it was best she didn't go back and ask. Besides, she wanted to get home, lay out her outfit for tomorrow and then get a real good night's sleep. She was almost as excited for Christmas Day now as she had been sometimes as a kid. She hoped it would be a great day. With all the effort the three of them were putting in, it really should be.

"Okay, dress, shoes," she said, checking things off her mental list. "Gifts for the guys," she added, looking towards the bag on the nightstand with the wrapped presents inside. "All set," she said, smiling to herself as she finally got into bed and turned out the light.

Zoe slept well but dreamt a lot, some about her childhood, Christmases with her dad, or rather Ethan Hart, that morphed into some impossible scenes of a young Zoe running around Bluebell and a different kind of family Christmas with the real father she never really knew.

It was strange to wake up from all of that and it took a few minutes for Zoe to get her bearings, then her eyes caught on the bag of gifts on her nightstand and the dress hung on the closet door. She remembered where she was and what today really meant. She smiled as she hopped out of bed, heading for the shower, more than ready to get her Christmas Day with the guys underway.

Within the hour, she was heading up to the plantation, deciding she ought to come in via the front door for a change since the kitchen was probably prohibited already. Turned out Zoe wasn't wrong. Lavon had barely had a chance to greet her with a Merry Christmas and a hug before Wade yelled at him.

"I ain't doin' all this by myself!" he told them loudly.

"Nobody askin' you too, man." Lavon rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, Big Z, I gotta get back in there," he told her, ushering her towards a less-used living room, "but you grab yourself a drink, park yourself on a couch and we'll be there just as soon as we got the first part of the work done, okay?"

"Uh, sure, okay," said Zoe, nodding her head, though her smile slipped as Lavon rushed away.

It wasn't as if she didn't understand the guys needed to be busy a while longer if they were going to have a nice, fancy dinner, but she had been excited to spend time with them when she came over to the house. Seemed it was nothing but alone time with the TV for Zoe for the forseeable. Pouring herself a glass of wine, she parked herself amongst the cushions and flipped channels for quite a while, until she found a Christmas special she hadn't watched in years.

"Geez, doc, what happened to you?" asked Wade, looking a little concerned when he and Lavon finally emerged from the kitchen sometime later.

"Huh?" she checked, one hand going to her face as she realised he was staring. Her mascara and a general dampness came away on her hand. "Oh. I was just... It's just so sweet when the other reindeers finally appreciate Rudolph," she said, tilting her head towards the TV.

"Aww, Big Z." Lavon chuckled, joining her on the couch and wrapping an arm around her to pull her close. "You big ol' softie."

"Shut up," she told him, laughing anyway. "So I have feelings, so sue me," she said, wiping at her face with some tissue until she was pretty sure she looked normal again. "How goes the food anyway? You guys cooking up a storm?"

"It's goin' pretty good." Lavon nodded. "Sorry it means leaving you on your own so much but chefs gotta do what chefs gotta do."

"Hey, it beats me trying to cook for myself," she confirmed, just as there was a knock at the door.

Lavon excused himself to go see who was there and Zoe turned to Wade who had just sat down in the armchair. She really hadn't looked at him yet and now that she finally was, she had to admit she was impressed. In what seemed to be a new white shirt, real pants and a vest, he looked really good. In fact, Zoe couldn't help the 'wow' that escaped her lips.

"You actually clean up pretty nice," she told him, immediately wishing she hadn't when he smiled at her in that disarming way that only Wade Kinsella could. Zoe hid herself in her wine glass and tried desperately not to blush like a kid.

"Well, you're not looking so bad yourself there, doc," he told her, eyes raking over her body in the well-fitted designer dress. "In fact-"

"Merry Christmas!" declared a new voice and Zoe's attention was suddenly taken by Rose standing in the doorway, clutching a gift bag and smiling widely.

"Hey, Rose," she said, rushing to greet her with a big hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I escaped home for a little bit to come give you your Christmas present," Rose explained, handing over the bag just as soon as they parted.

"Oh, you didn't have to get me something just because I got you a gift."

"That's not why," her friend promised. "It's just I ordered it online and there was some problems with delivery. Otherwise, I'd've given it to you two days ago when you gave me my gift. Anyway, it's finally here so I guess you should open it."

"I guess I should." Zoe smiled doing just that.

Inside the fancy bag was an awful lot of tissue paper and then a box from which emerged the most beautiful snow globe containing the skyline of New York City.

"I just figured if you were missing home at all, you'd have a little piece of it here in Bluebell." Rose smiled. "You do like it, right?" she checked as Zoe stared into the globe, letting the snow fall down over the city she had called home so long.

"I love it." Zoe assured her. "Thank you, Rose."

They shared another hug and then Rose said she really should go before she was missed at home. If she wasn't there to help with dinner and everything, her mother would not be amused. By the time Zoe had seen her out, the boys had gone back into the kitchen. After a moment's consideration, she went in after them.

"No, no, no," Lavon intoned the moment he realised Zoe had breached the threshold. "Tiny doctor people are supposed to stay out of the food preparation area."

"Relax, Lavon, I only came to talk to you guys while you work. I promise I won't touch anything, okay?"

Lavon looked to his fellow cook. They shared a look, then Wade shrugged.

"If she's not gonna touch anything, I guess it's fine."

"Okay then," said Lavon, "you just sit right there, Miss Zoe, and try not to drool in the fixins."

"I make no promises, it all smells delicious," she said, pulling herself up on a stool by the counter. "Look at this. Rose bought it for me for my Christmas gift. She is such a sweetheart," she said, waving her snow globe at Wade when she finally got his attention. "It's New York," she explained, when he stared at it like he never saw such a thing before.

"Yeah, I see that," he muttered, turning back to the stove.

"I guess she thought I'd be missing it." Zoe sighed. "It's weird actually, I'm really not. I mean, this whole hot-weather-in-winter thing takes a little getting used to. I like me some snow for Christmas, but it's not so bad. Speaking of gifts, you think maybe you guys are going to have a whole five minutes to do the present exchanging thing any time soon?"

"Just as soon as I'm done cleaning up these pans right here, I think we got us a little time," Lavon considered.

Five minutes later, Zoe was grinning from ear to ear as they all went back to the living room and she finally got to hand the guys their gifts. She had spent quite a bit of time on careful wrapping and pretty ribbons, even though she was pretty sure Lavon and Wade wouldn't care much about presentation. Truthfully, she had spent way longer on deciding what to buy. They may have agreed on small, token gifts only, but she still wanted them to be special.

"Ain't that somethin'," said Lavon as he got into his present at last and found the gold tie pin inside, a football sitting right in the centre. "Thanks, Big Z," he told her happily.

She was smiling as she started to open her own gift from Lavon and watched out of the corner of her eye as Wade and Lavon opened their gifts from each other.

"Ha!" Lavon exclaimed when he got into the gift wrap.

"Yeah. This is why guys don't buy gifts for other guys," said Wade, the pair of them showing Zoe how they had managed to buy each other the very same bottle of cologne.

"It's the thought that counts?" she said, shrugging then gasping within a minute as she spotted the fancy bath salts Lavon had bought for her. "I love these!" she told him, not surprised to see him looking proud of the fact he knew that.

"Hey, check this out," said Wade then, showing Lavon his gift from Zoe.

"Well, if that doesn't scream Wade Kinsella, I don't know what does," his friend said, chuckling as he looked at Zoe. "You know him a little too well already."

"Maybe," she agreed, reaching for her own gift from Wade so she could unwrap it.

"Uh, thanks for the buckle, doc," he said fast, still admiring the Alabama flag design on it, "but I should be checking on the food right about now."

He was gone in a second and Zoe didn't have a chance to argue.

"I don't know what it is he thinks he checking on," Lavon was muttering, though Zoe barely heard as she lifted her present from the box and gasped.

"They make Bluebell snow globes?" she said, eyes wide as she took in the sight of it. "I had no idea. I mean, it's not like it snows here very much, right?"

"No, it does not," Lavon agreed, with the strangest look on his face when Zoe glanced his way. "Uh, could I see that for a second?" he asked, reaching to tilt the snow globe in Zoe's hands and check the base. "Huh."

"What?" she asked, tipping it back the other way to see what he had been looking at. "1982?" she read from the label under there. "It's an vintagey snow globe? I don't get it."

She looked to Lavon for explanation, but he looked so strange still, running a hand over his face and almost seeming as if he wished he could run from the scene. Zoe considered going to ask Wade about the gift that made no sense, but that might seem ungrateful and she didn't want that.

"Zoe," said Lavon eventually, "that snow globe... it was made in '82. From what I recall him telling me a while back, it belonged to Wade's mom. You know, she died when he was ten years old?"

"I guessed it was a while ago." Zoe nodded.

"Yeah, and at Christmastime too," said Lavon, looking sad, as might be expected. "I figure Wade was stuck for what to buy for you and figured passing along something special might be nice?"

Zoe looked down at the snow globe in her hands and felt tears welling in her eyes. It was awful to hear what Wade must have suffered, losing his mom not just at a young age but at what ought to be such a special time of year too. The fact he would give such a precious item to her made no real sense. Sure, they were friends, but that was all. She recalled again a few nights ago when he offered to buy her a drink, wondering then if he really meant like a date or not. Now she didn't know what to think.

A timer sounded from the kitchen and Lavon got up. Zoe's eyes followed him.

"Could you ask Wade to come out here please?" she asked.

Lavon nodded before disappearing again. It wasn't long before Wade came out, looking as awkward as Zoe had ever seen him.

"If I'd known Rosie bought you one too-"

"I love it," Zoe cut him off, knowing she shouldn't but unable to help it. "I love both of them, I really do."

Wade nodded, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I just figured if someday you ever went back to the city, maybe you'd want to remember this place, that's all."

Zoe swallowed hard, unable to force out words for a moment so just nodded her head instead until she could figure out where to start.

"Wade, this was... Lavon said..."

"Yeah, it was my momma's," he explained, smiling sadly, "and then when she passed, it was mine. I was trying to think of something that you'd like and I couldn't come up with anything, then there was the snow globe sitting on the shelf and I thought, 'Doc'd probably like something like that,' and apparently you do, so it works out," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels.

"It does," Zoe agreed, "except, how can I take this when it means so much to you?"

"Makes sense for things that mean a lot to a person to be altogether, I guess," said Wade, meeting her eyes.

Zoe hardly dare think about what he meant by that. Her mind flashed back to their meeting after the Miss Cinnamon Cider Pageant again, when she had said that Rose was amazing and Wade replied, 'You showed her how to be.' He was just Mr Cryptic Compliments guy lately, but Zoe couldn't mind that too much. It was still a little bit of a surprise, perhaps, that Wade could be so sweet when he put his mind to it.

"Thank you," she said then, not knowing what else to do but clear the space between them and throw her arms around him.

"You're welcome, Zoe," he told her, hugging her back for a moment.

When they both pulled back a little, their eyes met, and it seemed pretty obvious what was going to happen next. Zoe swallowed hard, hesitating a moment. It was long enough for Lavon to interrupt, yelling from the kitchen that everything was just about ready to go.

"I should go check none of the decorations in the dining room have fallen or anything," said Zoe, pulling out of Wade's arms before he could barely blink and then rushing away.

It was easier to pretend nothing happened. The truth was, nothing really had. No kissing, no declarations of anything, nothing major to report, and yet everything felt different, like something had shifted.

Of course, that didn't mean Zoe didn't enjoy her meal with Lavon and Wade, that they all didn't act like the strange almost-family-like unit that they appeared to be sometimes when they all got together, sharing jokes and good conversation. The guys admired her decor and they ate all the good food until they just couldn't eat anymore, drinking a fair amount at the same time. It was a fun, warm, happy occasion, like Christmas ought to be, and Zoe couldn't imagine a better day spent anywhere with anybody else.

"This has been amazing," she declared when dinner was long over, and conversation and laughter finally wound down to a dull roar.

"From where I'm sittin' this is a good Christmas Day," Lavon agreed. "I just wish there wasn't so much clean up to do, but I guess that'll wait until tomorrow, right?"

"Hell, yeah," Wade agreed, leaning back in his chair as he finished off his beer. "Gotta admit, this is the best Christmas I've had in a good while."

"Me too," Zoe agreed easily. "You guys are the best cooks ever, and this day has just been so much fun. I've had the best time," she told them both giddily.

"You drunk, doc?" asked Wade, a little amused to realise it apparently.

"Not drunk," she told him. "A little tipsy maybe. Mostly, just happy."

When Lavon excused himself for a moment, Zoe barely heard the reason he gave for wandering away. Her attention just kept being drawn back to Wade. He had really surprised her today, even more so than Lavon, and she liked it.

"You know, you're not who I thought you were, Wade Kinsella," she told him, almost leaning a little too far back in her chair.

"Is that so?" he asked, smiling widely. "Then who am I, doc?"

"You're a very nice guy," she said, giggling in spite of herself. "You know, Lavon so easily became like a big brother. I never knew I needed one of those, but I feel so grateful that I have him. You... I don't know, I just thought you were going to be annoying neighbour guy, but you're not. Well, actually, you are," she admitted then, laughing loudly at the look on his face, "but you're also more than that."

Zoe couldn't have explained what she did next. She could blame the wine or the fact it was Christmas or a hundred other things, but the fact was, when she got up from her seat then, grabbed Wade's hand and dragged him with her to the doorway, it was just because she really, really wanted to.

"Merry Christmas, Wade," she said, eyes straying upwards, drawing his attention to the mistletoe hung over their heads.

"Merry Christmas, Zoe," he replied, before their lips met in a sweet kiss.

It was over before it had hardly begun as Lavon returned to the scene with movie choices ready to go that he needed their opinions on. Before long, Zoe, Wade, and Lavon were all bunched up on the couch in front of the TV, enjoying what remained of the day together. Zoe's face ached from all the smiling and laughing and her mind spun with possibilities of what happened next when this day was over, but mostly she was just happy.

It had been a wonderful Christmas this year, and Zoe really hadn't seen that coming.

The End

 **A/N2: In case anyone is wondering, I have now seen up to the end of Season 3 - none of Season 4, so no spoilers in those reviews please, folks. Since this fic is set in Season 1, I'm sure it wouldn't come up in your comments anyway, but just in case ;)**


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